Wrong Bra Size ladies?

245

Replies

  • Minnie92x
    Minnie92x Posts: 107
    I was measured as a 36B... very wrong.
  • MNA76
    MNA76 Posts: 1,541
    I had to find out through trial and error, since stores don't carry a size 40M.
  • marynificent
    marynificent Posts: 110 Member
    VS sucks. They do an overbust measurement to determine band size which doesn't account for us with bigger boobs or well developed pectoral muscles. They size me as a 38B or a 36C. I am a 34DD. Like missy said, go to nordstroms or dillards. watch this video for fitting tips! http://www.brastop.com/fitting/
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
    I'll give my bra szing rant. (VS does not size bras correctly.)

    When I was in university, I had a part-time job in the lingerie section of a department store. I was taught how to fit bras.

    I am currently a 30G. I buy my bras online mostly from Bravissimo.

    Your band size is the distance around your ribs, just under your bust.

    When you measure the fullest part around your bust, subtract the band measurement from that number, to find your cup size. 1" difference is an A cup. 2" = B. 3" = C. 4" = D. 5" = E. 6" = F. 7" = G. 8" = H...and so on.

    Most American bra manufacturers purport that all women are 1-4" bigger around their busts, than their band sizes (i.e. only offering A-D cups). Some, like VS, tell consumers to add 4-5" to the band size, for some reason.

    Proper bra fitting means the band is parallel to the ground, and doesn't angle up in the back. If the band is going up at the back, it means the band is too big, and not able to give proper support.

    Bra fitting rant ended. ;-)
  • My mother works in the lingerie department at a high end department store and the statistics show that 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size. Having a mother in the industry has perks. I haven’t had to buy a bra in over 10 years but having her fit me was a little awkward!:blushing:
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
    My size has changed, but its gone DOWN lol
  • Farfourah
    Farfourah Posts: 896 Member
    I got measured right at VS....and I've been measured by tailors after so...they're not always wrong.
  • Nikkie_too
    Nikkie_too Posts: 495 Member
    Here's the website that I use to get my size and it's pretty accurate for me.

    http://www.85b.org/bra_calc.php


    Anita

    Thanks for the link! :)
  • Drunkadelic
    Drunkadelic Posts: 948 Member
    HA HA HA I used to love Victoria Secrets.. I go in there only to buy my undies. I have had them measure me, and every time they tell me I measure at a DD. Well then I try on a DD and ha ha ha on them, I NEVER fit in their bras. I am a 36G... Im thinking they need to re train their "bra specialists" on how to measure!!! LOL

    Yea they do that because they don't sell anything bigger than a DD. I was told for forever that I was a 36 DD. I'm really a 32 E. No wonder my bras never fit. Go to Nordstrom instead.
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 856 Member
    i have been wearing a 38DD for awhile, but before i started losing weight, i know i was bigger. I have been sized before, at JCP and they did not do it over clothes but i do not feel it was accurate.

    I am just now going down to a 36DD and my goal size (haha!, mainly because i know what i was before when at lower weight) is a 34 or 36D.

    When i was nursing, i was wearing a 40G that was way too small. Yes, a G and it didnt fit!
  • Drunkadelic
    Drunkadelic Posts: 948 Member
    Where is all the proof of this happening, I need to see some evidence! :wink:

    Sorry, all we've got in anecdotal evidence. As far as I know, there has not yet been a peer reviewed study done on the wrongness of VS bra sizing. I guess it must not be true!
  • GellisIndigo
    GellisIndigo Posts: 55 Member
    Along the same vein, to you ladies with the larger assets (band and cup size), where do you find sports bras that fit? I'm having a heckuva time.:grumble:
  • Drunkadelic
    Drunkadelic Posts: 948 Member
    Along the same vein, to you ladies with the larger assets (band and cup size), where do you find sports bras that fit? I'm having a heckuva time.:grumble:

    I just wear 2...
  • tinyjourney
    tinyjourney Posts: 198 Member
    Bra fitting is my hobby. It is something I love to do because it really transforms a woman when she finds the right size. I'd never EVER send a woman to VS for a bra. There are much better options, that come in a variety of sizes that do not stop in a DD and come below a 32 band.

    This is the best calculator I have found, but it is still a starting point not a 100% set size.
    http://www.sophisticatedpair.com/bracalculator.htm
    Check out this post about fitting, it shows how the old method of sizing is a waste of your time and money.
    http://www.catwalkqueen.tv/2012/03/why_the_plus_fo.html
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
    Along the same vein, to you ladies with the larger assets (band and cup size), where do you find sports bras that fit? I'm having a heckuva time.:grumble:

    I love my Freya sports bras. i buy them online, from Bravissimo.
  • tinyjourney
    tinyjourney Posts: 198 Member
    Along the same vein, to you ladies with the larger assets (band and cup size), where do you find sports bras that fit? I'm having a heckuva time.:grumble:

    Freya, Panache, Enell, Royce, Shock Abosber, Moving Comfort. They are everywhere if you know where to look. Just google your band and cupsize, and compression/encapsulation sports bra and you'll find options.
  • bane0317
    bane0317 Posts: 60 Member
    I actually like the Genie Bras. They fit like a sports bra without squashing you flat. I can get decent cleavage and a nice round shape. They never have slipping shoulder straps and can double as a cami at the neckline when i wear something lower cut. They don't accentuate back-fat and will change as I lose weight. The bonus is that when you wash and dry them they tighten up a bit so you can get extra umphf in the cleavage area! I got mine off of QVC (6 for ~ $75). Better than Wally World.

    No, I don't work for them or get paid to say this!
  • tinyjourney
    tinyjourney Posts: 198 Member
    Where is all the proof of this happening, I need to see some evidence! :wink:

    Sorry, all we've got in anecdotal evidence. As far as I know, there has not yet been a peer reviewed study done on the wrongness of VS bra sizing. I guess it must not be true!

    There is some coming out now.
    http://www.tomima.com/2012/03/13/do-women-really-know-how-a-bra-should-fit/
    http://busts4justice.com/2012/03/10/i-hate-victorias-secret/

    They have tried to put me in a 36 band. I wear a 28. What ever they have in the store, they'll try and sell you. :(
  • amccrazgrl
    amccrazgrl Posts: 315 Member
    I always wear sports bras.

    I was once fitted by Nordstrom and they said I was like 36 C. I thought I was a B.
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
    Where is all the proof of this happening, I need to see some evidence! :wink:

    Sorry, all we've got in anecdotal evidence. As far as I know, there has not yet been a peer reviewed study done on the wrongness of VS bra sizing. I guess it must not be true!

    There is some coming out now.
    http://www.tomima.com/2012/03/13/do-women-really-know-how-a-bra-should-fit/
    http://busts4justice.com/2012/03/10/i-hate-victorias-secret/

    They have tried to put me in a 36 band. I wear a 28. What ever they have in the store, they'll try and sell you. :(


    Thamks for the links! I don't hate VS. I just wish they, and others, would stop perpetuating the notion all women ave busts 1-4" bigger than their ribs.
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
    I always wear sports bras.

    I was once fitted by Nordstrom and they said I was like 36 C. I thought I was a B.

    Proper fit often means women have a smaller band size than they think, and a bigger cup size.

    My friend once told me she was a 36B. Knowing how tiny she was, I knew this coudn't possibly be accurate. So, I convinced her to let me fit her.

    She excitedly told everyone that she is actually a 28C (the "C" cup being the most important "change"). She looks a lot better in clothes, and is finally giving her breasts adequate support.
  • RobynC_88
    RobynC_88 Posts: 13 Member
    Your band size is the distance around your ribs, just under your bust.

    When you measure the fullest part around your bust, subtract the band measurement from that number, to find your cup size. 1" difference is an A cup. 2" = B. 3" = C. 4" = D. 5" = E. 6" = F. 7" = G. 8" = H...and so on.

    If I measure myself that way, I'm a 40E, which is fairly accurate I'm guessing- at my last fitting I was 42D-DD.
    Here's the website that I use to get my size and it's pretty accurate for me.

    http://www.85b.org/bra_calc.php

    If I use this website, I'm a 44DD. I've triple checked to make sure I've put the right measurements in the right fields, but why are they using my bust measurement (45) as the band size?
  • Where is all the proof of this happening, I need to see some evidence! :wink:

    Sorry, all we've got in anecdotal evidence. As far as I know, there has not yet been a peer reviewed study done on the wrongness of VS bra sizing. I guess it must not be true!

    There is some coming out now.
    http://www.tomima.com/2012/03/13/do-women-really-know-how-a-bra-should-fit/
    http://busts4justice.com/2012/03/10/i-hate-victorias-secret/

    They have tried to put me in a 36 band. I wear a 28. What ever they have in the store, they'll try and sell you. :(


    Thamks for the links! I don't hate VS. I just wish they, and others, would stop perpetuating the notion all women ave busts 1-4" bigger than their ribs.

    Careful with the links. They lead to websites that are just as bad as VS as far as measuring guides go. They'd end up with me at a 34B which I know is not even close to right.
  • tinyjourney
    tinyjourney Posts: 198 Member
    Careful with the links. They lead to websites that are just as bad as VS as far as measuring guides go. They'd end up with me at a 34B which I know is not even close to right.

    Those links are for blog posts showing examples of bad fits from VS, the evidence asked for. They were not intended for anyone to use for fitting, nor was that ever stated. Please don't take more from the post then what was intended.

    Fit is very individual! You can read every fit guide you want, but it still comes down to trying on bras and finding what works for you.
  • Careful with the links. They lead to websites that are just as bad as VS as far as measuring guides go. They'd end up with me at a 34B which I know is not even close to right.

    Those links are for blog posts showing examples of bad fits from VS, the evidence asked for. They were not intended for anyone to use for fitting, nor was that ever stated. Please don't take more from the post then what was intended.

    Fit is very individual! You can read every fit guide you want, but it still comes down to trying on bras and finding what works for you.

    And I was just warning anyone who clicked through and saw the bras recommended by the same people discounting VS that they might be disappointed. I didn't read more into it than was intended. I clicked through to see the bad examples, saw the "good" ones and then was disappointed that they use an inaccurate fit measurement system. And since it's a free world, I figured I'd post a warning for anyone else thinking these sites would have better bras.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I was a 36B. Well I got my boobs done (after breastfeeding 6 kids, I deserved it) anyway, I had the lady at Dillards size me...34DDD. What this means...all these years, I had been wearing a 36B, it was probably the wrong band size the whole time. I should have been wearing a 34B!

    AND, I teach Zumba and you would be surprised at how many women do NOT protect their boobs with the right size bras. I can tell because those girls are bouncing EVERY WHERE!! A correct fitting sports bra (band size and cup size) will hold those boobs in nice and tightly!!

    oh my a good sports bra is one thing all women need. I see ladies in class with them flopping everywhere it looks seriously painful! I get maxium support. I can weight the light support ones for yoga or simple pilates or weights, but for fitness classes and running I need that support.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    Along the same vein, to you ladies with the larger assets (band and cup size), where do you find sports bras that fit? I'm having a heckuva time.:grumble:

    Brands I like are underarmour and champion.
  • For my graduation present, my sisters mother in law got me a dress and REAL bras. I was fitted.

    I was wearing 36cs

    My correct size?

    I almost had a freaking HEART ATTACK

    36 DDD :embarassed:
  • Lula16
    Lula16 Posts: 628 Member
    same thing happened here. I was wearing 36 C's for a long time but they started to fit weird. I went to VS to get measured and turns out i'm a 36D!
  • crazytreelady
    crazytreelady Posts: 752 Member
    I realized I was wearing the wrong bra size when my boob was getting cut off by the cup, but every time I get fitted, they say I am a DD... And I really don't think I am. I'm never tried a 34 DD though, maybe I will one day.
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